Shipping container



May 16, 1933- F. J. HEACOCK SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Oct. 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR EIHeacock/ BY WITNESSES ATTORNEYS May 16, 1933. F. J. HEACOCK 1,909,272

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Oct. 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W 27 Z4 27 m 2% Af Hu l V ll I f INVENTOR WITNESSES 1 .1), Jiea'cock I ATTORNEYfi Patented May 16, 1933 UNITED. STATES rarsl uf orFicE FOSTER J. I-IEACOCK, F CLEARVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA SHI-PPING CONTAINER Application filed October 2, 1929. Serial'No. 396,777.

This invention relates to shipping containers.

It 1s anion Y vention to provide container whlch may g the objects of the present in. a novel and improved be readily transported in knockdown form and assembeld to form a container. A further object of the present invention A further is to provide object of the present invention a container includlng nnproved end members which may be secured to the body of the stapling.

- A further receptacle without nailing or object of the present invention is to provide in a container improved end members which by their construction pro vide for resilient pressure upon the contents of the container whereby a cushioning the end members is effected.

Further objects of the present invention include the combniation and-interrelation of parts whereby a novel improved and simple,

readily assembled container is provi ded.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawlngs, in

which Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away showing the preferred embodiment of the present invention in. assembled form with the end members in position;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view partly broken away of that form of the invention shown in Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustrating the method of forming the cylindrical body of the container Fig. 4 is a edges of the Fig. 5 is portion of one of the end The present invention adapted for plan View showing the joining body before assembly, and V a sectional detail View of one members.

is particularly use as a container for fruit and vegetables, or the like, and by its im- 0 proved cons truction provides a container 'spective loops after the projecting ends within which the fruit or vegetables may be shipped without'bruising, cutting, or other injuries such as are usually sustained in the use of the conventional. basket now in use. The present invention further provides a sturdy contained which may be easily and quickly packed and which includes vertical side walls whereby maximum receiving space is provided with minimum space required for the container.

Referring more particularly to the drawv ings, the container includes a body formed by the association of adjacent vertical slats 10 with inner and outer edge reinforcing bands 11 and 12, respectively. The slats 10 are also supported intermediate their ends by a central reinforcing band 13. The body of the receptacle is adapted to be shipped in flat form with the bands-11, 12 and 13 secured to the slats by the conventional nails, staples, or the like. (not shown).

When it is desired to use the container, the body is bent to form a cylinder. The extendof the body are brought into abutting relation. For securing the body in cylindrical form without the use of nails, staples, or the like,.suitable securing wires 16 are provided associated with the extending ends 14 .of the bands 12 and 13. The wires 16 are preferably positioned between the slats 10 and the bands and are adapted to engage the re- 1% have been passed therethrough whereby the bodyhis secured 'in proper cylindrical form by the simple expedient of securing the extremities tojthe loops 15.

For closing the ends of the cylindrical body, there is provided a pair of end members. of improved construction. The device is seen to be doube ended and the end members are uniform so that either end may be used asthe top of the device, the end members being similarly secured and similarly removable. The end members include an upper and a lower central cross strip 20 and 21, respectively. The upper cross strip 20 is strips 22 on either side which lie under the under cross strip 21. The cr ss strip 21 is provided with parallel strips 23 on either side, which are positioned under both the cross strip 20 and its parallel strips 22. Associated with the eX- tremities of the strips 20 and 21, beveled terminal members 2l are provided which form in conjunction with similar terminal members 25 carried by the ends of the strips 21 and 23, an internal substantially continu ous rim-engaging flange for the cover member, the beveled edge of which is adapted to be in supporting contact with the inner band 11. It will be understood that the ends of the strips are suitably secured by nailing or stapling to the terminal members 24 and 25, and that, if desired, other securemcnt may be provided between the various strips. For securing the end members to the body, the strips 20 and 21 extend beyond the terminal members 24 and 25, respectively, the extending ends 26 of which are adapted to be received through securing handles 27 which are carried by the edges of the body, it being understood that the strips 20 and 21 are sufliciently flexible to permit them to be flexed in order to be positioned through the loops 27.

In connection with the cover member, it Will be noted that the securing cross strips 20 and 21 are secured to the top of the terminal members 24 and 25, while the parallel strips 22 and 23 are associated with the under side of their respective members 24 and 25. Thus in the normal position of the cover as shown in Fig. 5, a space is provided in the cover between the planes of the strips 20 and 21 and the strips 22 and 28. It will further be noted in Fig. 5, that the strips 22 and 23 are of substantially thinner and thus more flexible material than the securing strips 20 and 21, and conse uently a resilient sub-bottom is formed with the end members so that when the container is packed and the lid inserted, a resilient pressure is maintained upon the contents due to the flexibility of the under structure formed by the association of the strips 22 and 23 in spaced relation to the strips 20 and 21, the outer flexing of the under structure being indicated in Fig. 1 to illustrate the manner in which the improved end members provide for maintaining a gentle pressure upon the contents whereby bruising thereof is prevented.

From the foregoing it will readily be seen that the present invention provides an improved container having cylindrical side walls and removable end members, the end members being constructed to provide for resilient pressure upon the contents, while the body of the container is formed from flat material which may be readily secured in cylindrical form without the use of nails or staples. It will be understood that the present invention is not confined to the specific structure herein presented but that numerous changes, modifications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. I11 a device of the character described, an end member including a pair of crossed central securing strips, terminal members secured to adjacent the ends of said strips on the under side thereof, and parallel stri s secured to said terminal members on tile 'under side thereof to be in spaced relation to said first-mentioned strips. 1

2. In a device of the character described, an end member including a pair of crossed central securing strips, terminal members secured to adjacent the ends of said strips on the under side thereof, and parallel strips secured to said terminal members on the under side thereof to be in spaced relation to said first-mentioned strips, said parallel strips being of more flexible material than said first-mentioned strips.

3. In a device of the character described, an end member including a' pair of crossed central securing strips, terminal members secured to said strips on the under side thereof, parallel crossed strips associated with said terminal members on the under side thereof to be in spaced relation to said firstmentioned crossed strips, said parallel strips being of more flexible material than said first-mentioned strips, and means carried by the receptacle body for receiving the extremities of said first-mentioned strips for securing said end member to the body.

l. In a device of the character described, an end member having a transverse strip, terminal members secured to the under side of the transverse strip adjacent the ends thereof, supplementary cross strips secured to the under side of the terminal members, an additional transverse strip disposed at an angle to the first mentioned transverse strip and between the first mentionedstrip and the said supplementary strips, terminal members secured to the under side of the said additional transverse strip adjacent the ends thereof and a second set of supplementary strips secured to the under side of the second mentioned terminal members.

5. In a device of the character described, an end member having a transverse strip, terminals members secured to the under side of the transverse strip adjacent the ends thereof, supplementary cross strips secured to the under side of the terminal members, an additional transverse strip disposed at an angle to the first mentioned transverse strip and between the first mentioned strip and the said supplementary strips, terminal members secured to the under side of the said additional transverse strip adjacent the ends thereof and a second set of supple mentary strips secured to the under side of the second mentioned terminal members and disposed below the other strips.

6. In a device of the character described, an end member having a transverse strip, terminal members'secured to the under side of the transverse strip adjacent the ends thereof, supplementary cross strips secured to the underside of the terminal members, an additional transverse strip disposed at an angle to the first mentioned transverse strip and between the first mentioned strip and the said supplementary strips, terminal members secured to the under side of the said additional transverse strip adjacent the ends thereof, and a second set of supplementary strips secured to the under side of the second mentioned terminal members, the first and second mentioned terminal 'members forming an inner substantially vcontinuous rim engaging flange.

7 In a device of the character described, an end member having a transverse strip, terminal members secured to the underside of the transverse strip adjacent the ends thereof with the ends of the transverse strip projecting beyond the terminal members, supplemental cross strips secured to the underside of the terminal members at the sides of the transverse strip, an additional transverse strip disposed approximately at right angles to the first mentioned transverse strip and between the first mentioned strip and the said supplemental strips, terminal members secured to the underside of the said addi tional transverse strip adjacent the ends thereof with the ends of the said additional transverse strip projecting beyond the second mentioned terminal members, and a second set of supplemental strips secured to the underside of the second mentioned terminal members and at the sides of the said additional transverse strip, the first and second mentioned terminal members forming a substantially continuous rim-engaging flange and the said strips forming a lattice I(sjubstantially enclosed by the terminal memers.

8. In a knock-down container including a flexible body portion adapted to be shipped in flat form and having means at two opposite edges thereof for fastening the same together to form the body of the container, a member for closing an end of the body and adapted to be secured to a rim thereof, said end-closing member including a substantially-continuous-marginal flared wedgelike rim-engaging flange to accommodate the same to slight variations in the size of the body and/or to overcome slight variations in the shape of the body.

in flat form and having means at two opposite edges thereof for fastening the same together to form the body of the container, a

member for closing an end of the bod and adapted to be secured to a rim thereo said end-closing member including strips and segmental terminal elements secured thereto and forming a substantially-continuous peripheral flange, said flange being flared to provide a wedge-like contact with the rim of the body to accommodate the same to slight variations in the size of the body and/ or to overcome slight variations in the shape of the body.

10. In a knock-down container including a flexible body portion adapted to be shipped in flat form and having means at the two opposite edges thereof for fastening the same together to form the body of the container and having spaced loops for the reception of strips for securing the end-closing members of the container, an end-closing member comprising segmental elements and crossed securing strips attached thereto. and having a portion of the securing strips projecting beyond the segmental elements for engagement in the spaced loops for securing the end-closing member to the body, said segmental elements forming a substantially continuous peripheral flange, said flange being flared to provide a wedge-like contact with the rim of the body to cause intimate contact between said end-closing member and the body and to accommodate the same to slight variations in the size of the body and/ or to overcome slight variations in the shape of the body.

11. In a knock-down container including a body portion having a flexible rim, a member forclosing an end of the body and adapted to be secured to the rim thereof, said end-closing member including a wedgelike substantially-continuous periphery to provide intimate contact with the flexible rim of the body portion to overcome slight variations in the size and/or shape of the body portion.

FOSTER J. HEACOCK.

9. In a knock-down container including a 

